


The wind blows right through you

by orphan_account



Series: Red and Violets [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Lanterns (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lanterns, Author has Christmas feels, I live on my own Canon now, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, P.S. I still don’t know what I’m doing, Pre-Slash, Red Lantern Jason Todd, Star Sapphire Dick Grayson, They’re not together yet it’s very slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21923935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dick Grayson is returning back to his home for the Christmas season.He realises that perhaps he isn’t the only one who’s gone to Earth for the holidays.(Previous work is not necessary to understand this.)
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: Red and Violets [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578955
Comments: 5
Kudos: 102





	The wind blows right through you

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t plan on writing much more of this AU, and I definitely didn’t plan on this Christmas thing. But I felt festive, so enjoy. Didn’t want it to be too angsty, maybe I succeeded. I don’t know.
> 
> Title is from Fairytale of New York by the Pogues because it’s my favourite Christmas song.

_Earth’s Moon, Sector 2814_

Dick Grayson didn’t return to Earth very often. His adoptive father was usually busy with his war against crime, and whilst his friends were always happy to see him, he often felt out of place among the Earth-bound heroes. But as his meticulously accurate calendar had told him, it was Christmas Eve on Earth, and this was one of the few holidays which he would always return to his home for. But he wasn’t due back home just yet, so he took a moment to stop at one of his favourite spots in perhaps the whole universe.

Earth’s Moon. Sure, he had been to hundreds of planets and moons, seen so much of the wonders the universe had to offer. But somehow the Moon that he had gazed up at as a child held a special place in his heart. Whenever he returned home, he would stop on the Moon and look at the Earth with a view that only precious few astronauts had the pleasure of having seen.

But as he lowered himself down to the surface, mind already buzzing with thoughts of buying wrapping paper last minute (apparently it wasn’t that easy to find gift wrap in space), he noticed that perhaps he wasn’t alone in a usually desolate place.

Settled on the ground facing the distant blue planet ahead was the unmistakable glowing figure of a Red Lantern. And not just any, but one he had met before. Jason Todd, the human Red Lantern who apparently had the pastime of picking fights with other Reds and generally ignoring Atrocious when given half a chance. And also very dangerous. But when they had met in that bar weeks earlier, he had seemed a fairly nice man by Red Lantern standards. A little angry and rough around the edges, but underneath all the rage he could see sadness and perhaps a softness just crying to be set free. And he wasn’t exactly bad looking either.

Quietly, he approached the glowing man, before sitting down beside him and crossing his legs.

“What you want?” Jason grunted, a thick accent he recognised from patrolling the less tasteful areas of Gotham as Robin leaving his soft lips.

“Heading back home, thought I’d stop by and watch the view.” He decided to reply with, keeping his voice light and as non-threatening as possible.

“Well tough shit, ‘cause I’m here.” Jason frowned, his red eyes avoiding contact and keeping focus on the planet ahead of them.

“Nothing to say we can’t sit here together.” Dick smiled, leaning sideways to nudge Jason before shifting back again. Jason didn’t reply, pulling what seemed to be a butterfly knife from his pocket and taking to tossing it in the air, watching it slowly float down into his hand before he repeated the movement again. It seemed to calm him somehow, watching the blade spin in the low gravity and glint in the light glow of his red aura.

They spent an uncomfortable amount of time in silence. Dick had grown up in constant movement, and this had never changed when he had become the teen superhero Robin, even later for his brief stint as Nightwing, and then his current life as a Star Sapphire. He’d tried not to fidget too much, but ended up fiddling with his fingers and adjusting the way he was sat around two dozen times. Of course, a question lingered upon his mind, but he wasn’t sure whether it was wise to ask.

“So, what are you doing here?” He eventually asked, holding his breath inadvertently as he waited for an answer.

Jason caught his knife abruptly, hand almost grasping at the blade rather than the handle. He huffed, his breath rustling a few dark streaks of hair that danced in front of his face.

“I’m just looking at home. Miss it sometimes, ya know?” Came a quiet reply, not quite as abrasive as his usual tone of voice.

Dick knew that Red Lanterns couldn’t alter their appearances like the other Lanterns could, they were trapped in monstrous visages until they lost their rings, which would either be upon their death or cause their death. So it suddenly hit him as to why Jason was watching from afar. He couldn’t return home, even if Gotham (he had to be from Gotham, Dick could recognise a Bowery accent even after all this time) was full of more unusual characters.

“You leave any family behind?” He dared to ask, his mouth spitting the question out before he could question as to whether the question would set off the volatile rage of a Red Lantern. Jason, to his credit, didn’t erupt into a violent fit, and he didn’t run away either. He took a deep breath and looked down at his knife, perhaps hoping the inanimate metal would speak in his place.

“They’re all dead…..” he eventually mumbled. “Well, dad could still be alive, could be rotting in Blackgate. Dead to me anyway.”

His body language suggested that he didn’t want to speak anymore. But that was fine. He had opened up a small part of his heart (metaphorical heart, of course) to Dick, and that was something that he treasured to a degree.

“I’d like to be by myself now.” Jason mumbled, his gaze drifting to Dick for one moment before instantly darting to the ground.

Dick hesitated, his hand hovering over the man’s shoulder before dropping down and rubbing it gently. Jason tensed, but didn’t say anything. And with that, he flew off towards his home planet and the manor which awaited him.

* * *

Jason sat on the Moon, watching the Earth spin as Christmas Day rolled around. He knew that down on the planet families were busy unwrapping presents and digging into Christmas meals. Of course, he had rarely experienced the joy of a typical Christmas, but he had enjoyed the small toys that his mother saved up pennies to buy, and loved the fuzzy Christmas films that played on their old TV.

In the distance, he could see a figure approaching from Earth. And he seriously hoped that it was just Superman going for a fly around the sun. But as it got closer, he realised it was that irritating yet infuriatingly hot Star Sapphire.

Dick stopped in front of him, floating a few inches above the dusty ground. Almost silently, he dropped a small paper bag which smelled strongly of gingerbread into Jason’s lap.

“Merry Christmas Jason.” He grinned, before giving him a small wave and flying back to the planet ahead.

Opening the bag, he saw a small pile of gingerbread men, absolutely delicious smelling, with a note above it. Looking at the note, he saw just a cheesy smiley face scrawled on it alongside a messy ‘seasons greetings’.

Biting into a piece of gingerbread, he smiled at the Earth, and felt as at peace as one could with the red light of rage burning his veins.


End file.
